7 Ways to Shift an Either/Or Mindset

There are so many debates, opinions, and perspectives thrown at you from every angle today. Reason being, the methods of communication have grown in both amount and access. At this point, the only thing you need to broadcast your perspective to the world is wifi and a mobile device.

With this enhanced ability comes louder noise as well as quieting of nuance. As a result, the proportion of polarity is at an all-time high.

This can be intimidating if an individual wants to take part in in the social dialogue. This comes from a mental bias of breaking things down into two outcomes. Either I’ll meet aggressive opposition or feel comforting support if I give my perspective. Often times people choose not to take any action for worry of being held responsible for the outcome.

The gap between each also reveals this mindset permeating many areas of our culture. It’s is one of scarcity, which is a fancy way of saying fear.

The two words that tell you someone is using scarcity, coming from a place of fear, are – Either/Or.

Let’s reel in from the larger social picture and see where it shows up in the workplace. This will support our understanding of the seven ways to shift an either/or mindset. Doing so will pay off for you in and out of the office.

Start by thinking about examples of questions or explanations you hear at work. They could relate to projects, hiring, firing, expanding, or anything else job-related.

Here are a couple of examples to get the wheels turning;

1. Either we focus on the results or we focus on the process.

2. Either we put our customers first or our employees first?

3. Do we hire for cultural fit or technical ability?

4. Do we invest in marketing or give raises?

5. Either I let go of this employee or I transfer them to another department.

This mindset creates limiting beliefs. These beliefs blur the ability to see possibilities. This leaves the question, how do we change this mindset?

Here are seven ways to shift an either/or mindset to go from scarcity to abundance;

1st – Pay attention to your self-talk.

The words narrating your thoughts are powerful, make sure they are possibility oriented. Be accountable and correct them.

2nd – Pay attention to the words you speak.

Much like your self-talk, make corrections when needed.

3rd – Pay attention to the words you use when writing.

Read it out loud to hear the connotation, revise if needed before sending.

4th – Pay attention to the words used by people in daily conversations.

Avoid scarcity based conversations whenever possible.

5th – Pay attention to the words used by traditional media and social media news you consume.

Notice if you feel tired or inspired after watching/listening.

6th – Pay attention to the words used in music and movies you watch and listen too.

Movies tell enrolling stories, notice how the hero speaks. Music has a way of leaving a lasting mark on our brains (thus songs stuck in our heads haha).

7th – Pay attention to your results.

This is a tough one because there are many factors involved in your results. That said, tough does not mean excusable. If you are not yet where you want to be in some area of life, take a look and see how scarcity is beating out possibility.

At first this may seem like work, and at first, it is. Once you sort out the sources supporting you and those limiting you it will become much easier.

This gives you control over the volume of the noise while identifying the nuances, in the cultural dialogue. Additionally, you will have competency and command over your results.